handballfandomcom-20200223-history
Katja Nyberg
| cityofbirth = Stockholm | countryofbirth = Sweden | height = 1.83 m | weight = | position = Left back | nickname = | currentclub = FC Midtjylland Håndbold | clubnumber = 15 | years = Until 1997 1997–1998 1998–2005 2005–2006 2006–2010 2010– | clubs = Sparta IF Stockholmspolisens Larvik HK Krim Ljubljana FC Midtjylland Larvik HK | nationalyears = Since 2001 | nationalteam = Norway | nationalcaps(goals) = 99 (321) | update = 31 December 2008 }} Katja Johanna Alice Nyberg (born 24 August 1979 in Stockholm, Sweden and grew up in Finland ), is a naturalized Norwegian player, currently playing for Danish club FC Midtjylland as well as the Norwegian national team. Career Early years Katja Nyberg is the daughter of Robert Nyberg, the first Finnish handball player to play professionally abroad. She was born in Stockholm while Robert was living in Sweden. The family later relocated to Finland where she grew up. Nyberg played sports from an early age, mainly javelin throw and other athletics varieties. She started her handball career in Helsinki club Sparta IF with her father as coach. Club career Nyberg played for Sparta until she was 18. As handball in Finland was not competitive enough, she decided to pursue a professional career abroad. She first moved to Stockholmspolisens IF in Sweden where she played for one season, and then signed a contract with Norwegian club Larvik HK. During her seven seasons in Larvik, Nyberg achieved great success. She was named Player of the Year of the Norwegian league in 2001 and 2005. She also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 2004/05 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2001/02 and 2003/04. By the time she left the club, she had scored an average of 6.65 goals per match, with 765 goals in 115 matches. In 2005, Nyberg signed a one year contract with Slovenian champion Krim Ljubljana. But her stay at Ljubljana was prematurely ended in October when she suffered a serious shoulder injury. It required surgery and kept her away from the handball court for six months. By that time, her relationship with Gro Hammerseng was already public and they had expressed their desire of playing for the same club. They received offers from Larvik, Ikast-Bording, Krim and other unidentified clubs, but they finally chose Ikast, where Hammerseng was already playing. With Ikast (now FC Midtjylland), Nyberg reached the final of the EHF Cup in 2006/07 and won silver at the 2007/08 Danish Championship. National team Katja Nyberg gained Norwegian citizenship on 16 January 2001 and made her debut with the national team on 23 March 2001 against France. She wasn't allowed to play for Norway in official tournaments until 2002 because she had competed at the 1999 Junior World Championship qualification for Finland. Her first major competition as a Norwegian player was the 2002 European Championship where Norway received a silver medal. She then received a gold medal at the 2004 and 2006 European Championships. Nyberg missed the 2005 World Championship due to the shoulder injury she suffered in Ljubljana, but she was with the team two years later when Norway won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championship in France. She was also voted Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Apart from this individual recognition, one of her biggest achievements with the national team to date was winning the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. As of February 2009, she has played 99 games for Norway and scored 321 goals. Personal life She is in a long-term cohabiting relationship with fellow FCM and Norway player Gro Hammerseng. Team results ;National team * European Championship: Gold in 2004 and 2006, silver in 2002 * World Championship: Silver in 2007 * Summer Olympics: Gold in 2008 ;Club * Champions League: Semi-finalist in 2001/02 and 2003/04 (Larvik) * Cup Winners' Cup: Winner in 2004/05 (Larvik) * EHF Cup: Finalist in 2006/07 (Ikast) * Danish Championship: Silver 2007/08 (Ikast) Awards and recognition * Player of the year of the Norwegian league in 2001 and 2005 * Most Valuable Player at the 2007 World Championship * Honorary member of the Finnish Handball Federation * Honorary member of Sparta IF References Category:Norwegian players Category:FCM players